Golden Years
by strawberrytear
Summary: After Voldemort the heroes of the war now have their children at Hogwarts, adventures in Hogwarts begin once more. SnapeOFC.Not HBP compliant though some spoilers of the later books may or may not be included. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

It was 12 years after the fall of Lord Voldemort and the new school year at Hogwarts was about to begin. Headmistress Minerva McGonagall was journeying into the outskirts of Muggle London searching for a Muggleborn the magic traces had discovered. The girl was unusual, for she was in her late teens and so it was too late to enroll her in Hogwarts like a normal student. In fact, the said girl, Belinda Golden had just graduated from a Muggle secondary school and was preparing to enter a college when Minerva showed up on her doorstep with an interesting proposal. As she lived alone she cautiously agreed to the Headmistress' terms and returned with her to Hogwarts.

Draco and Starletta Malfoy waved goodbye to their quadruplets as the Hogwarts Express pulled away from the station. The four children cheerily dominated a compartment with their "adopted cousins" Quentin Weasley and Florine Potter. Quentin was a Weasley redhead with green eyes and a lanky build. Florine was tall and graceful with wide blue eyes and short curly dark hair that fell about her ears. Excitedly they chattered about the coming year, their first at Hogwarts.

Upon arrival they were greeted by the huge form of Hagrid, gray beginning to speckle his beard and shaggy mane of dark hair. As they crossed the lake in the tiny boats Tallulah and Darian glanced into the water longingly hoping to get a chance to swim later on. And so began the sorting.

"Burnett, Stella,"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Levine, Fritz,"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Malfoy, Darian,"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Malfoy, Eleanor"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Malfoy, Oakley,"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Malfoy, Tallulah,"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Potter, Florine"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Weasley, QUEntin"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Several others were sorted into their respective houses before Minerva took the chance to address her batch of fresh faces.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! For those of you who are returning, I will keep this short. For those of you who are new allow me to inform you that the forest is off limits, as are the greenhouses without Professor Sprout. Forbidden items can be found on the massive list on Filch's office door. And now, allow me to introduce to you your professors. Professors Sprout, Vector, and Firenze return this year; Professor Snape will teach Advanced Potions and Advanced DADA. Lupin will teach lower DADA, and Mrs. Weasley will teach lower Potions. Professor Brown will take over Transfiguration, Flitwick Charms, Hagrid will continue CMC and Professor Golden will teach Muggle Studies. Zabini will teach flying and fencing for the older students. Dig in!"

Earlier that evening at the staff meeting Belinda had fought long and hard with McGonagall about the Sorting. McGonagall believed that because she was to be educated in her spare time by the other Professors she should be Sorted as it was her first year.

"And what, Minerva is the purpose of Sorting that it is so vital that it occur for me?"

"It shows you where you will find your true friends, it shows your personality." 

"Ah, well you see Minerva it just so happens that neither of these is particularly appealing to me. I came here to learn and to teach, not to make friends. And I would find it a terrible intrusion of my privacy for it to be so clear to everyone what my personality could be classified as before they had the displeasure of meeting me. Perhaps I can be Sorted at the end of the year and you all can make bets on where I will be placed. I'm sure the students would be thrilled by the prospect. Or perhaps they could vote on where in your silly house system I will be placed?"

"It is quite clear to me that were you a pureblood, your poor disposition would land you in Slytherin."

"Hmm…" she replied noncommittally. "Now that that's settled onto the next order of business…"

Now that she sat before the Great Hall and the eyes of curious students she half wished she had been sorted with them and was to become a regular student. Surely the appointing of a Muggle to a teaching position would cause trouble enough without the oddity of being houseless. She eyed a group of giggling teenaged girls and the thought was erased from her mind, if being a student meant having to put up with hormonal teenagers it would not have been pleasant. It was much better to be in a position of power over them than to have to be their peer. She shuddered involuntarily, she had been discovered as a witch for this very detesting of hormones, and she found them to be a nuisance and to undermine her control of mind and body. Finally losing her patience with them she had forced them back into their glands so that only those necessary to maintain normal bodily function were in her blood stream, the massive amount of magic used had alerted the Ministry to her existence and so she had been surprised to find Minerva at her door. Her purple eyes flashed in anger at the memory, Minerva had clearly been shocked at the way her magic had shown itself and made no effort to hide it. Of course the woman had been disapproving of someone who had done what she never thought possible, disposing herself of unnecessary influences allowing her clarity of thought. Minerva herself clearly embraced her meddlesome hormones without a qualm. Belinda nibbled at her food daintily attempting to disguise her fear of the upcoming experience of teaching.

She was not to be spared however, Minerva made it a point to include her in every discussion even when she was forced to admit ignorance and was submitted to the undignified response from her peers of jumping in to explain various eccentricities of wizarding life to her.


	2. Lessons

A week later found Belinda, now known as Professor Golden, in her office learning a basic potion from Snape. As neither of them were terribly social they had agreed to have dinner there delivered by a houself. As she chatted quietly with him and sliced her ingredients they both suddenly froze at the sound of a small click coming from the formerly locked door. The door slowly swung inwards and a bit of bushy brown revealed their intruder to be Professor Hermione Weasley. With a sly grin, Belinda let go of the knife eliciting a shriek from Hermione as it sank into the wall scant inches from her nose. Belinda chuckled.

"Where I come from Hermione it is very bad form to open locked doors and invite yourself in, it's usually taken as a threat."

"I see," she squeaked. "But you didn't come to dinner and I thought perhaps…"

"That Severus had murdered me? Well, since he is clearly of better breeding than you he would know quite well that murdering one's host is considered even worse bad form than inviting oneself in. I suggest you write him a letter of apology. I of course will pardon you this time since you have committed the lesser error towards myself but next time I would be warier if I were you, I have excellent aim. Good evening." Belinda returned to her work in a gesture of cold dismissal. Hermione opened and closed her mouth a few times and then retreated. With a flick of her wand the door was again locked.

"What on earth were you doing attacking her like that?" demanded Snape.

"Relax if I had wanted to hit her I would have, it's just an intimidation technique. How am I supposed to keep my privacy if everyone thinks they can barge in, and through locked doors at that?" Snape began to laugh softly.

"And where did you learn to do that?"

"Dad. After Mom passed he decided that he wasn't going to get a son so he started treating me like one. It was great, He happened to like knife throwing so I was taught it too. We used to wrestle when we fought, great practice for life later. As a kid I never won of course but I learned about a thousand ways to get out of someone's grip. The best part was I didn't get strapped into corsets like Mom had wanted. We were convinced that's what made her weak enough to die of a cough…Dad's too old for that now, only when he's being stubborn about his health do we fight now. He's going to be furious when he finds out what I've done. He wanted me to marry into some other rich family so I could keep up the mansion. I can do that with magic of course but he won't see that. Course it does help that all the boys in the families we know are terrified of me." She grinned at him. "Knowing how to defend yourself scares them the poor things."

"I can imagine; Muggles are cowards after all." She nodded with a barely concealed grin of amusement.

"Naturally, we don't generally have the power behind a wand with us. That gives you confidence."

"Does it?" He asked pointedly as sat down to sip a cup of tea daintily.

"Sometimes, if I was with Muggles yes, but then, I haven't been frightened of strange Muggles in ages. Wizards and witches are different. I'll never know as much as them, I started too late…"

"You'll just have to learn quickly." Belinda glared at him.

"Learning is something too important to be rushed." Snape's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"Good words of wisdom. I'm glad you appreciate what we're doing for you."

"I do, but I wonder why you're bothering to. It would have been easier to leave me a Muggle and let me continue, I would never have known any better, mind over matter has always worked before, and I'd just think I was a strong minded person."

"And I'm sure you are but that wouldn't have been safe. The Ministry would have wanted to study you as an anomaly if nothing else. And governments cannot be trusted to manage human lives."

"Can they manage non human lives?" Belinda chuckled quietly.

"Of course not, governments are usually useless, especially to the individual."

"And then they think they are the most important thing in the world."

"Don't you think you are?"

"Of course not…I know I am." She turned up her nose for a second before breaking out into all out laughter.

"Why are you so disrespectful to Minerva?" asked Snape though he already knew the answer.

"She's weak, and I can feel it and see it, and she lets me get away with it." She shrugged.

"I'll bet I can beat you at your wrestling game Miss Golden. It can't be that difficult to hold down a tiny little slip of girl like yourself." Belinda smiled playfully and hopefully.

"The deadliest of poisons come in the smallest packages. Let me get into something I can move in."

"Of course, as will I, I'll be back in ten to take you to a room that would work for this, fewer obstacles,"

Within minutes Belinda was in loose flannel pants and a t-shirt and sneakers ready to play, and glowing with excitement. When Snape knocked she burst out of the door beaming. After hiking up several flights of stairs they walked into a room covered in a sponge substance everywhere. No one could be hurt by hitting their head on the wall or anything in here. Belinda was amazed.

"They have a room for wrestling?"

"No this is the Room of requirement I asked for one."

"Amazing,"

And then they fought, though Snape was bigger and heavier, and possibly even stronger, Belinda managed to escape from every hold he had by going limp, seemingly random wriggling, and twisting. Finally she pinned him down, in an awkward position he couldn't figure out how to get out of though it too all her strength to hold him there.

"All right, you win."

"Knew I could beat you," she grinned letting him up amiably.

"Want to learn something else?"

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Care to try your hand at fencing?"

"You mean that thing with the swords? Of course I always wanted to know how to use one, could you teach me? Please?"

"Of course, we have to step out for a bit first and let the room change." Excitedly, Belinda waited out side the door with Snape. Wriggling impatiently, she caused Snape to smirk in amusement. "Now we know why you're a student, so childish."

"Yeah, yeah, just hurry up before I burst from all the pent up excitement." He pushed open the door revealing white walls and a pair of thin blades lying peacefully on the floor.

"Let's see what you know already, if you have any natural instincts for it now. Take a blade and defend yourself." Belinda reached down ad plucked up a blade, it was light in her hand and watched Snape curiously and he took the other one. Without warning he struck for her face she leapt aside and brought up her own to defend herself just in time to avoid his. His blade changed direction and swung at her legs. She leapt back again and aimed for his shoulder, with a flick of his blade, hers nearly soared out of her hand, instead her firm grip caused it to jerk her arm away from her body leaving her unprotected and before she could recover her position, a lock of deep brown hair fell to the floor. Alarm filled her eyes as she thought of what might have happened had it truly connected with her. Snape saw and shook his head.

"The blades are charmed, they can only go through the top layer of skin, shouldn't even draw blood most of the time." She smiled relieved and dodged a blow to her stomach.

After a few moments Belinda found herself backed into a corner. Startled she found her blade flying across the room away from her and sat down against the wall raising her hands in defeat.

Abruptly the door opened and Professor Lupin walked in, he glanced at the two of them, Snape's blade still pointed towards Belinda in a threatening manner and horrified, began to yell at Snape.

"Get away from her with that, Snape, we all know you don't like Muggleborns but you'll still be fired if you kill her! Have you lost your mind!?" Snape opened his mouth in surprise to defend himself but Belinda beat him to it.

"He's not trying to hurt me, we were just playing, relax, besides the blade can't cause serious injuries, watch. Severus, slit my throat." She ordered calmly tilting her head back to allow him easier access to her throat and confidently meeting his eyes. He shrugged at Lupin and complied, bringing the blade across her throat. It stung her and she blinked back a wince as a single drop of blood welled up and dripped onto her shirt. She wiped away the wound and smiled. "See, no harm done." Lupin stood there stunned for a moment looking between them before backing out of the room and closing the door.

Belinda smirked up at Snape playfully.

"Did you see the look on his face? That was great!"

"Yes, yes it was."


	3. Revelations

Professor Golden walked into her class and was met by a bright orange beam of light aimed at her head, albeit poorly.

"That will be twenty points from Ravenclaw for attacking a teacher, Buckley, and five more for terrible aim; you can take another five for atrocious planning, and complete lack of subtlety. I hope you studied or your house is not going to be pleased with you." She said calmly, proceeding to her seat. "I'll let you earn five back if you repair that sludge you made on my wall, if you don't I'll take away five. Now, your essays on Muggle transportation please," A rustle of paper filled the room. As she took them from the students, her thumb fell across one of the papers and she gasped in pain and slammed them on her desk. The image of one of the words off the essay was burnt onto her skin. "Well done Miss Jaillet, twenty points from Slytherin for attacking a teacher, five back for success, and another five back for execution without my suspicion. And I'll award you ten back if you tell me what potion you used and heal this."

"Acid Ink from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, just needs warm water and it'll be fine."

"Trayra Fawn, I believe it is your turn to give us your oral report, teach this class something please while I wash my hands." She walked out and returned to grin in amusement at her choice of topic: make-up, fortunately she wasn't making up her info so Belinda patiently sat through it for several minutes. Finally she faltered to an end. "That earned you an O on that assignment Traya. Now, turn in your books to chapter three, Muggles in the Kitchen…"

That evening on her way back from dinner, Belinda heard a whisper in the halls nearby and dove to the floor as a spell whizzed by, or so she thought. Zzzzzthwack!

"Aaaagh!" she yelped. Blood spurted from her shoulder. "Who's there?" she called attempting to hold her wound and hissing in pain.

"Gotcha, Professor, I'm Axym Falent, Slytherin. Sorry, I was aiming to miss actually."

"30 points from Slytherin, I don't suppose you know how to fix it?"

"Oh, of course here," he muttered something and waved his wand over the wound and the cut vanished.

"10 points back to Slytherin and another five for being honest not running off. I'll have to give you a detention though, you need to teach me that spell it becomes more apparent every day that I need to learn magic that I can defend myself with and the other Professors want me to learn the same things the first and second years are and expect me to be fine in groups that are far above that."

"That's fine, that was a slicing hex, and we're not supposed to know them officially so you'd probably best not tell them I'm teaching you such things."

"Oh, no that's a surprise for later."

"The next evening she sat in her office listening to Axym instruct her in the Slicing Hex and the healing spell that went with it. Needless to say she managed the Hex first, as she tried to hex her hand and then heal it. After nearly two hours she had mastered both skills and beaming, thanked the boy before sending him back to his dorm points restored in surplus, just in time for her to attend yet another dull staff meeting.

"Welcome Miss Golden, we were wondering when you would show," Minerva greeted her, in her usual stiff manner.

"I know better than to not show to a staff meeting, might miss some quality entertainment after all, they are terribly exciting.

"As it is you are late," Belinda looked at the clock, 7:05, the meeting was to start at seven.

"By a scant five minutes; and clearly you were simply dying for my presence since you haven't started yet." She scoffed and sat down next to Snape. Lupin looked at this with interest.

"Before we start Minerva, I'd like to bring up something I witnessed a few days ago. I walked into the Room of Requirement to check for misbehaving students as it is a common place for…but anyhow I found, to my surprise Severus and Belinda engaging in fencing, only Severus was the only one with a weapon. Alarmed I started to yell at him but the girl displayed a very, werewolf-like behavior proving him harmless by ordering him to slit her throat. This behavior is typical among werewolves, a display of trust from an inferior to a superior…"

"Remus Lupin, are you suggesting I am a werewolf?" Belinda interrupted in amusement. "Going to lock me up so as not to endanger the students? Really now, that's quite the accusation to make, since you're the only one I've ever met and logically the one who would have bit me."

"No, I'm merely suggesting that you are perhaps an example of similarities between Muggles and werewolves."

"That's preposterous, the only thing that reflects I'm a Muggle generally here is that I can't stand wizarding clothes and have trouble remembering to be afraid of a flimsy piece of wood you call a wand." There were snickers all around.

They asked for her report after a few moments.

"Well, your students are doing as they're told for the most part, net points in my class to Slytherin this week, 25, Hufflepuff, 20, Gryffindor, 13, and Ravenclaw -15, one detention. They have an 80% record of finishing their work and those who do it are generally doing well, half the class has Os, 25% have Es and 20% As and 5% Ds."

"Ds! Who and why? Antony Buckley from Ravenclaw, and Geoffrey Morley from Gryffindor for rarely completing work, showing general disrespect, and failing to attend several classes. Am I supposed to reward such behavior?"

"No but I am merely surprised, and from those houses!"

"Your precious Gryffindors make as many mistakes as the rest Minerva and are not as careful to remedy the problem. I do not ask much respect of my students, they are nearly my age, at least half of them are larger than myself, and all of them know more magic than I do, however I give points back for apologies and good behavior and instead of demanding respect I earn it as playmate."

"You PLAY with your students!"

"Yes Minerva, I've taught a few Muggle sports and board games as treats, I banter with them, I allow them to take turns teaching the class if they choose to, research projects that I help with and they present. I tolerate pranks as long as there is no serious damage done. And what's more I never raise my voice, never treat them as incompetent and remind them to do their work, and never protest to being called a Muggle. They trust me, not fear me, did your students ever do the same or were you this uptight then too?"

"That's enough, Belinda, quit verbally abusing your employer and apologize," Severus said before the gaping Minerva could reply.

"Yes, Master, I'm sorry Minerva I overstepped my boundaries." The staff table's eyes widened in shock and Belinda wondered what she'd said but decided to pretend she didn't care what they thought. "Next report…"

"Ah, that would be me," began Snape sparing her any questions. Afterwards she went to his office questions burning to be asked. She knocked.

"What do you want?"

"Severus? Can I come in?"

"Go ahead," she opened the door and closed it after her and sat down in an armchair by the fire.

"What did I say at the meeting today? Why did they all stare at me all of the sudden?"

"You called me Master, you little idiot."

"Did I infer something I don't know about cause it seemed a little extreme of a reaction to me…"

"You inferred that I had bought you. There is an old out of date practice in which it is perfectly legal for a pureblood to buy a Muggleborn from their parents for the ease of care, few use it but it is known and recognized." The wheels in her brain churned.

"Not a bad idea, I imagine Muggles struggle with magical children, and it may well help me out, if the school were to believe I was your property I am certain that the attacks would slow dramatically, the student body as a whole seems terrified of you."

"Are you suggesting that you want to further this belief?" Severus exclaimed incredulously.

"Why not? It's not true but it can't be that hard to play, just publicly call you Master a couple of times, ordered about, punished in public once or twice and it should be considered solid fact, it would explain what Lupin saw too I think…"

"It would…but you don't understand…"

"Then make me,"

"I, you, it, you would be playing the part of a slave!"

"Well, I know it's not real and so do you so I shouldn't be too indisposed, unless you don't want to, I'll learn enough magic soon enough and they don't mean any real harm so I should be fine if I last the next few months. And I'm sure I could get a student to play the part. Thanks Severus brilliant idea thanks for your help." She got up to leave.

"You can't do that with a student!"

"Why not?"

"The inference is you're their mistress, sleeping with them and that's not allowed."

"Oh, well then, I'll just have to convince you."

"Fine, fine, I'll do it, but I'll have to uphold my reputation too so you'll have to expect some rough treatment."

"I can handle it, I'm used to all variety of magical abuse every morning, I've just managed to stay out of the hospital wing."

"And how have you stayed out?"

"Bribery, I take points from the attacker, offer the chance to get the back by remedying the harm, if they won't then to all their house in my class, then to the whole class, and bonus points telling me how to fix it myself and info on what they did. The Slytherins are the best at the game, most likely to be successful, original, and to know how to fix it. They've figured out the advantage of 'fessing up too."

"And you don't think they would attack as often if they thought I owned you?"

"Not the other houses at least, and the more timid Slytherins wouldn't. The rest I suppose might take it as their right to attack but hey, that's less attacks at least."

"It might help if you were sorted, the house that you were sorted into might decide to take you under their protection…"

"Like you favor your house? I suppose, but I don't like the concept."

"And you prefer that of slavery?"

"Yes, obedience I understand judgment of my personality, based on the opinion of a rag I do not."

"Well then, welcome to life as my slave, you may begin by calling me Master at all times."

"Goodnight then master," Belinda merrily tripped back to her own rooms leaving a bewildered Snape wondering what to do about her.


End file.
